THE GUARDIAN

Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has again, charged Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to relocate its operational headquarters to the state.

He stressed that given the historical significance of the state to Shell, there was no better location to site its headquarters. Diri stated this when Shell Country Chair and Managing Director of SPDC, Osagie Okunbor, led a management delegation on a visit to the Government House, Yenagoa.

A statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Daniel Alabrah, quoted the governor as saying that the presence of Shell in Bayelsa was essential for the economic benefits of both parties.

He stressed that the long-standing relationship between the state and Shell, following the discovery of oil in commercial quantity at Otuabagi community in Ogbia Council, was proof that they were inseparable in oil and gas business.

Assuring the company of a friendly working environment, Diri maintained that the stereotype of insecurity in the Niger Delta was a ploy to deprive the goose that lays the golden egg and was no longer tenable.

“The history and story of Bayelsa cannot be complete without Shell. We have an intertwined and long-lasting relationship between the state (then in the old Rivers State) and Shell. As a people, we have not been fairly treated as those who provide the resources for this country,” he said.

Diri also restated his administration’s resolve to supervise the signing of Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) between host communities and companies operating in the state, insisting that the decision was informed by breaches of such agreements result in conflicts.

He outlined projects being undertaken by his government and solicited partnership with Shell on the proposed Nembe-Brass Road and the ongoing Yenagoa-Oporoma and Sagbama-Ekeremor Road projects.

On the legal dispute over outstanding revenues Shell owed the state, Diri said an amicable resolution was possible in the spirit of renewed relationship between both parties.

Speaking, Okunbor noted the key steps taken by Diri to promote peace in the state and commended the governor’s leadership quality. Describing Bayelsa as the company’s most important host state, he said they were impressed with the governor’s handling of affairs in the state and his support for their operations, adding that Bayelsa was host to some of the company’s most strategic assets. He pledged to sustain the relationship between the company and the state through sustainable investments in key development projects.